


Not a Simple Sponge

by SammyHeroes1



Category: SpongeBob SquarePants (Cartoon), The SpongeBob Musical - Various/Anthony & Coulton/Jarrow
Genre: Gen, spongebob the musical rocks!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:21:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22108522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SammyHeroes1/pseuds/SammyHeroes1
Summary: Spongebob is tired of being called a kid because of how he looks, so with a little help from Sandy, he gets a new wardrobe.(AKA, a sort of fanfiction/headcanon on why the costume changed in the musical.)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 117





	Not a Simple Sponge

**Author's Note:**

> I will be referencing the actors costumes and physical appearances from the musical, just in case you get confused as to why Sandy has an afro or why Spongebob is ginger.

“What do you mean ‘just a kid’, Larry?” Spongebob asked.

“Sorry, puny dude. But no one under the age of twenty-one can enter to this side of the beach, is for adults who want some peace and quiet from the kids and other people. This is the relaxing spot.”

“But I’m not here to cause a ruckus and besides, I’m over twenty-one, I can go in there.”

Larry eyes him. Dyes mess of yellow hair, white shirt two sizes too big and blue swim shorts. “You don’t look like it.”

“I swear I am. I don’t have my ID with me, but it’s true.”

“Sorry, Spongebob, but I can’t let you in.”

The sponge decided to let it be and march on. But this has not been the only occasion he was wrongly judged as a kid again. The other he was at the supermarket buying groceries for the week when he passed by the alcohol section. Though he wasn’t going to buy any, not that he drank anyway, an employee ushered him away from the section since he was a “kid”. Another instance happened when he was taking a walk around town with Gary. He had been pointed at and been told there was a park nearby where he could play with his snail. Spongebob was grateful for the indications, but when he arrived at the park, it turned out to be a playground for “kids.” Just yesterday he been told off by some people at boating school that he couldn’t get his license because he was just a kid. Mrs. Puff called him a hazard to society, but that was out of the point. The point was, everyone treated him like a kid and the young sponge knew he needed help. So, he went to Sandy Cheeks’ Treedome as soon as he left the beach. He quickly changed into his brown shorts, white dress shirt and yellow vest and hurried towards Sandy’s home.

“I think your problem, Spongebob, is how you look.” Sandy responded to her friend’s story.

“Huh?”

“Not that there’s anything bad about it, but the type of clothes you wear are more fitting for a preteen boy and not a young man like you. Also, you got a baby face and that makes you look younger than you are, so that doesn’t help.”

“So, what should I do?”

Sandy smiled and fixed her afro. “I think I know. Shopping.”

“Shopping?”

“Yes, shopping. You don’t really have to change anything about yourself, but if it bothers you that other fish don’t take you seriously because of your appearance, then maybe it’s time for a wardrobe change.”

“I guess that makes sense. Can Patrick come with us?”

Sandy cringed. “Maybe it’s best if we do this ourselves. You’ve seen how Patrick dresses.”

“Good point.” Said Spongebob. “Let’s go shopping.”

_**Two Hours Later…** _

“I think this is fine. A whole new wardrobe that still fits your personality!” Exclaimed Sandy as she put down two bags on the floor. She had insisted on going back to her Treedome since she had enough lunch for the two of them.

“But what about my hair?”

“What about it, sponge?”

Spongebob shrugged. “I’m guessing its part of the problem. It’s dyed yellow, not natural. I guess it makes me look like some punk rock kid in a phase.”

They chuckled. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. I reckon I got just the thing.” She pulled a shampoo bottle out of a cabinet. “It’s an especial shampoo I designed some time ago. It washes away all hair dye plus leaving your natural hair color like new. And we should probably comb it a bit too.”

“Great! Let’s do it?”

_**One Hour Later…** _

“YOU CHANGED YOUR HAIR!?”

Both Spongebob and Sandy turned around to look at Patrick holding a bucket of ice cream. His expression turned from shocked to overjoyed. “Finally! I thought you’ve never show off your true hair color!”

“He knew?”

“Yep.” Said Spongebob as he dried off his ginger hair.

OOO

The Next Day…

“Good morning, Squidward!”

Squidward rolled his eyes but did not look up from his magazine. “Whatever. Go make some Krabby Patties before Mr. Krabs thinks you’re slacking off.” He heard the familiar squeak of shoes walk pass him and enter the kitchen. When customers started to arrive in small numbers, Squidward started to take orders and pass them on to Spongebob as usual. The day went on as such until after rush hour, when most fish had either gone back to work or had satisfied their hunger.

“Squidward!” Mr. Krabs called. “Go to the kitchen, we’re having a bit of an employee reunion.”

“Is it bad?”

“No, just to go over some complains from the customers.”

Squidward rolled his eyes. “Fine, give me a minute.” He started to secure the cash register as Mr. Krabs walked into the kitchen.

“SWEET NEPTUNE!”

Squidward ran into the kitchen to see what was going on. He was not expecting to find another man in the—What? Spongebob?

Spongebob look up from cleaning the grill and smiled. “Hello.”

They stared at him. He was not wearing his regular clothing. No yellow vest and white shirt and no shorts and over sized shoes.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

Squidward and Mr. Krabs looked at each other and then back at the sponge. His hair wasn’t even a dyed yellow anymore and whatever product he used to remove the dye certainly did wonders for his natural ginger hair. Squidward would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little jealous by the lustrous shine the younger man’s hair sported.

“My boy? What happened…?” Mr. Krabs motioned his new attire with one claw.

Spongebob looked down at his long pants, black shoes that fitted him, red tie and yellow dress shirt that for once looked well on him. “What’s wrong? Does it look bad? Sandy helped me pick them up, I thought she could—”

Mr. Krabs laughed. “Nonsense, my boy! We are just surprised with this new look on ye. Makes ye look older, more mature.” He ruffled the young man’s hair. “And since when is yer hair ginger?”

Squidward rolled his eyes. “He probably made a pact with the devil…”

“No, silly!” Spongebob laughed as he tried to comb his hair. “I was born ginger, but I was always made fun of, so I dyed my hair yellow to fit in with the other fish at school.” He scratched his head. Most people in Bikini Bottom had a wide spectrum of different hair colors but being ginger is still wrongly associated with bad things and superstition like on dry land. “So, Sandy made me a special shampoo that washed away all the dye and left my natural hair like new. Also, the dye was starting to affect my scalp.”

‘Gotta ask the squirrel for a sample of that.’ Squidward eyed the sponge. “May I ask, why the sudden change in attire?”

Spongebob looked sideways. He didn’t answer right away but when he did, he did not look up. “I’m just tired of people thinking I’m just a boy. I mean. I’m twenty-five. I guess it was time for a new look.”

Mr. Krabs and Squidward looked at each other and then back at the young sponge. “Well, my boy, I must say it is a nice change for ye. You look very good.”

“Aw, Mr. Krabs—”

“NOW GET BACK OT WORK AND MAKE ME SOME MONEY!”

“But what about our reunion?” The sponge asked.

Mr. Krabs shrugged him off. “It was mostly to talk about a complain about Squidward’s attitude towards clients. But I rather be in me office swimming in me money.” He left.

Squidward turned to look at his fellow worker. “So, new attire, huh?”

“Yep.”

“The squirrel helped you?”

“That’s right! I gotta say, Sandy has a pretty good taste in fashion!” The younger man exclaimed as he looked down at his new shirt.

Squidward was about to leave when he turned again to the young man. “You know, you are annoying and all that jazz, but if I know something about you, is that you don’t do any serious stuff or drastic changes without a reason. Someone insulted your looks or something?”

Spongebob looked down. “More like both.” He proceeded to tell his story about the beach, the supermarket and everything else that happened during the week.  
Squidward was silent during his story. “Look, I hate you and all, but my advice? Go back to those places sporting your new look. You certainly did an impression on us.”

“Even you?” Spongebob grinned.

Squidward rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Yes, even me. I’m especially interested in that shampoo. Now go back to work!”

After a day of work, Spongebob decided to follow Squidward’s advice and went back to the supermarket to pick up some food for Gary. The employee that stopped him the other day could not stop staring from the shock. He then took Gary for an afternoon walk, for which he was not mistaken for a kid again when he passed by the playground. Finally, the next day he went back to the beach just to show his ID to Larry and show off his muscles from working out with Sandy and practicing martial arts.

Larry simply looked at Spongebob as he left the beach. “Puny dude got buff.”


End file.
